Renewable energy: We're using more of it

Wind energy. Renewable energy. Alternative energy. The amount of energy Michiganders use that has been produced by wind and other renewable sources has increased substantially in recent years.

When someone flips a switch to turn on a light in their home in Petoskey or Charlevoix, a portion of the power to that light will have come from a wind farm.

Where power consumed in Northern Michigan comes from and whether there is an alternative to paying a monthly electric bill to the power company are questions that have fairly simple answers.

According to the Michigan Public Service Commission, the power used by Michigan residents and businesses comes from a wide variety of sources, mostly coal, but in recent years has come increasingly from renewable sources.

There are plans for further expansion of renewables in the next three years.

Public Act 295 set the state renewable energy standard in 2008, requiring electric providers to meet a 10-percent renewable energy standard based on retail sales by the end of 2015. The act includes interim compliance steps for 2012 to 2014.

Looking forward, the public service commission found that electric providers are on pace to hit the interim targets as well as the 10 percent by 2015 renewable energy standard.

Of all the renewable energy in the state in 2012, about 94 percent came from wind.

Great Lakes Energy, based in Boyne City and Consumers Energy, a very large company with customers across the state, are the only two private energy companies that provide power to Charlevoix and Emmet counties.

Great Lakes Energy increased the amount of power it uses from renewable sources from about 9,000 kilowatt hours in 2009 to about 66,000 in 2011. That's five percent of its total fuel mix, which means that amount will more than double by 2015. Most of the renewable power for Great Lakes Energy was sourced from a wind farm in the state's Thumb and the rest came from solar, biofuel, biomass, wood and solid waste incineration.

Currently, about four percent of the energy sold by Consumers Energy comes from renewable sources. That means Consumers generated or purchased more than 1.5 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy in 2011.

But, not everyone in Northern Michigan purchases their power from Great Lakes Energy or Consumers Power. There are those who have chosen an alternative to paying a monthly electricity bill.

Several residents and businesses in the area have opted to purchase their own wind turbines or other renewable energy generators and have had them installed and connected to the existing power grid.

John Ochs, who owns Central Drug Store in Charlevoix, installed a 120-foot, 10-kilowatt wind turbine at his home on Marion Center Road at the end of December.

"I've been thinking about it for a while," said Ochs, "I'm happy I did it."

The turbine generates about 80 to 90 percent of the energy Ochs and his wife use at their home during the winter. They do not have natural gas or propane connected to their home.

They don't use air conditioning in the summer, so, said Ochs, he expects to use less power and actually come out ahead over the warmer months when heating his home is no longer necessary.

The couple's home is connected to the power company's grid, meaning they are attached to existing power company infrastructure and have established a net metering system where any extra energy produced is converted to credits to be used toward future energy use.

"I just think it's a good idea," said Ochs, "I was intrigued by it. I like the idea of renewable energy."

Lake Effect Energy Corporation, a company based in Harbor Springs, engineered and installed the turbine in Charlevoix.

The company has installed 14 wind turbines throughout the state for residential, municipal, commercial and agricultural customers since it was founded in 2009.

The structures vary in size and shape and can produce anywhere from one kilowatt to one megawatt of electricity. Costs range from $14,000 to $2.5 million for the turbines themselves as well as engineering and installation. Often, tax credits and sometimes state grants are available to those who purchase the generators.

A one kilowatt turbine would produce about 800 to 1,600 kilowatts a year of power in a good wind area, according to Chris Stahl, co-owner of Lake Effect Energy.

The average residence in Michigan uses about 12,000 kilowatts of power per year.

Their most popular turbines for residential customers are the 10 kilowatt turbines, like the one the John Ochs installed, said Stahl.

"For most, it takes eight to 10 years to pay back (generate enough electricity to cover the cost of purchasing the system), then at that point, they're making free electricity," he said.

Not every property is right for a wind turbine, though.

Average wind speeds should be at least 10.5 miles per hour, said Stahl, in order for enough power to be generated by a turbine. Also, the bottom of the turbine's blade must be at least 30 feet higher than nearby obstructions such as trees or buildings.

Whether residents in Northern Michigan choose to purchase and install their own renewable energy systems or to purchase energy from the power company, it is inevitable they will use at least some energy that has come from renewable sources within the state when they turn on the lights. And the portion of that power coming from renewable sources will continue to increase.